U.S HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT REGENTS REVIEWPOWER POINT 7

WWI, Roaring Twenties, Great Depression, WWII

WWI in Europe

• Militarism: Countries in Europe built up huge armies

• Aggressive Nationalism: Ethnic unrest• Imperialism: Build up of overseas landholdings• Alliances: Counties promised to defend each

other in case of a war• Competition: Resources and markets• Assassination: Austrian duke assassinated by

Serbian rebel• War erupts in 1914

US Entry into WWI• US goal was to remain neutral• Traded with Allied forces• Germany sunk US passenger ship Luisitania in

1915• Germany resumed unrestricted submarine

warfare in 1917• Zimmerman Note: Germany tried to build an

alliance with Mexico• US joins WWI to protect and maintain the

freedom of the seas

Effects of WWI

• War Bonds: sold to raise $ for war effort• Espionage and Sedition Acts: crime to speak

out against anything war-related• Schenck v. US: Individual liberties can be

restricted in a time of war to protect the national interest

• Red Scare: implementation of communism in Russia caused Americans to fear Russian immigrants

End of WWI

• Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points– Intended to serve as a guideline for peace– “lasting and just peace”

• Freedom of seas• Arms reduction• League of nations

• Treaty of Versailles– Forced Germany to pay reparations to the rest of

Europe– Rejected by Congress bc Congress felt that joining the

League of Nations would compromise US policy of neutrality

1920s Prosperity

• Return to Normalcy: US returns to a policy of neutrality and isolation

• Pro-business policies: Little restriction on trade and businesses

• Stock Market: speculation soared and many people made a lot of money

• Farmers were the only group of people who did not experience prosperity due to overproduction of farm goods

Mass Consumption

• Production of war materials dropped, production of consumer goods rose

• “Buy now, pay later”– Credit: receive a bill for items purchased – Installment Buying: “3 easy payments of …”– Buying on Margin (stocks): consumer pays x% of

total stock price, broker lays out the rest of the money under the agreement that the consumer will pay what he owes the broker when he sells off the stock

1920s Lifestyle

• Nativism– Red Scare: discrimination against Russian immigrants for

their belief in communism– Sacco and Vanzetti Trial: Italian immigrants executed more

for their differing political beliefs than for an actual crime• Harlem Renaissance: AA artistic success• Modernism vs. Fundamentalism– Flappers: women were less reserved– Scopes Trial: conflict between science and religion– Prohibition: many people ignored the law proving that

unpopular laws are nearly impossible to enforce

Causes of the Great Depression• Black Tuesday: October 29, 1929, stock market

lost $14 billion• Overproduction: buying slowed but production

didn’t• Unequal Distribution of Wealth: few people

controlled majority of US wealth• Buying on Credit: People had acquired huge

amounts of credit debt and were struggling to pay it back

• Bank Failures: bank runs caused banks to close and many people lost everything

Effects of the Great Depression• Unemployment– Due to production downturn, many people were out

of work– Relied on charity for food

• Dust Bowl– Extreme drought in the Great Plains caused farmers

to become even poorer– Many moved further west to start over

• Popular Culture– Many people went to the movies to escape the

nightmare of their lives

Hoover and the Great Depression• Trickle Down Effect: – Help businesses get on their feet and the benefit will

trickle down to the masses• Refused to provide direct aid bc Hoover believed it

would hinder people’s initiative to help themselves• Bonus Army: – WWI veterans decided to cash in on their promised bonus– Hoover sent in troops to dispel the veterans protesting

near the White House• Hoovervilles:– Name given to shanty towns that the homeless were

forced to live in– Reflects people’s dislike of Hoover

FDR and the Great Depression

• Elected President in 1932 (only president to exceed 2 term limit)

• New Deal: – Implements programs to provide direct aid to the people– Gov’t takes greater responsibility for the welfare of

citizens• Deficit Spending: spends more money than the gov’t

actually makes• Court Packing: FDR tried to add more SC justices to

ensure than New Deal legislation would not be ruled unconstitutional

WWII in Europe

• Outcome of WWI in Europe left room for the rise of fascism (Italy) and Nazism (Germany)

• Hitler led the Nazis in reclaiming territory that once belonged to Germany

• Other countries in Europe initially appeased Hitler in hopes that there was a limit to his demands

• Upon Hitler’s invasion into Poland, war erupted in Europe

US Entry into WWII

• Neutrality Acts: – Attempt to keep US out of WWII by avoiding mistakes

made in WWI

• Lend-Lease Act/Destroyers for Naval Bases:– Both deals establish a way for US to help Allied forces;

US becomes the arsenal of democracy

• December 7, 1941– Japanese attack US base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii– US enters WWII on the side of the Allies the next day

Effects of WWII• US is pulled from Depression• Women gain greater independence by working in factories

to produce war goods• Korematsu v. US: upholds internment of Japanese

Americans (see Schenck v. US)• World enters into a new age of atomic warfare (Manhattan

Project)• Nuremburg Trials: individuals are held accountable for their

actions during WWII (Nazis and Holocaust)• Control of Germany and Berlin divided among Allied

Powers• United Nations created